It was an emotional and frustrating season for the Philadelphia Union in 2014. A slow start led to their head coach John Hackworth being fired. While they showed some promise under interim coach Jim Curtin throughout the second half, it wasn’t enough to find their way back to the playoffs. They finished the season with 42 points and were as balanced as you can get with 51 goals scored and 51 goals allowed.
However, for as bad as things looked early on, there were still signs this team was headed in the right direction. The optimism continued throughout this offseason as the Union replenished their roster with reinforcements. Philadelphia might not have all of the pieces in place to be a playoff team just yet but they are certainly headed in the right direction.
Removing The Interim Tag
The offseason began with the Union removing the interim tag off coach Curtin and making him the club’s full-time head coach. There was no doubt that the situation got better under Curtin a year ago and the team rewarded him by making him their man. Hackworth led the team to a franchise-record 12 wins in 2013 but the team just wasn’t responding the same way last season.
So while Curtin shed the interim tag, Philadelphia didn’t stop there as they brought in former Manchester United assistant and Fulham manager Rene Meulensteen as a consultant to help evaluate the club and find a permanent sporting director. Philadelphia still had a lot of work to do and while fans were torn about their next decision, it is one that will have a huge impact on the club going forward.
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Buying In With A Veteran Striker
The Union had plenty of needs heading in to this year’s MLS SuperDraft. Though Curtin had his eyes on one or two players that the team really coveted, he admitted afterward that the price to trade up was far too high. Philadelphia had already decided to trade its 10th overall pick to Sporting Kansas City for fifth-year forward C.J. Sapong with the hope that he could turn back the clock and find the form he showed when he was the MLS Rookie of the Year in 2011. Sapong struggled at times last season before being loaned out to Orlando City. However, there are no guarantees the club feels his presence will help bolster what they have up front.
The club also made some shrewd moves recently by bringing back Conor Casey, Brian Carroll and Fred. Their old deals had expired, so new deals had to be agreed upon. They got it done and that will be important for the locker room to mentor the young guys. Even though Casey has been plagued by injuries in the last couple of seasons, bringing him back was important because between him and Sapong, the Union should be set at the position – assuming he stays healthy and Sapong regains his form.
Outlook
Philadelphia has been linked to at least a handful of other names still out there through reports and trade rumors and it will be interesting to see the type if any moves that the club is willing to make the rest of the way. The season doesn’t get underway for another month and while some feel it would be best for the Union to use this as a transition year, the reality is that the fan base is desperate for a winner. They could begin to grow restless if the team doesn’t make a return to the playoffs – especially given how positive their 2013 season was.
The fact that Philadelphia will play in the same conference as two expansion teams in Orlando City and New York City FC should help their chances of making the postseason but ultimately it will be on the Union players and staff to rally together and find a way to turn things around and become a postseason contender once again.
